The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthurium andreanum, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Martinexe2x80x99.
The new Anthurium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Schipluiden, The Netherlands. The objective of the program is to create and develop new freely flowering Anthurium cultivars with strong roots, dark green leaves, attractive spathe color, and good inflorescence longevity.
The new Anthurium originated from a cross by the Inventor in 1994 of the Inventor""s proprietary Anthurium andreanum selection code number 93-0026 as the female, or seed, parent with the Inventor""s proprietary Anthurium andreanum selection code number 90-0023 as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Martine was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Schipluiden, The Netherlands in 1996.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by tissue culture in a laboratory in Belgium has shown that the unique features of this new Anthurium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
The new Anthurium has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of the cultivar Martine. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Martinexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Durable dark green leaves.
3. White and pink bi-colored spathes with pink-colored spadices that are positioned upright and beyond the foliage on strong and erect scapes.
4. Freely flowering habit.
5. Good inflorescence longevity.
The new Anthurium can be compared to the female parent, the selection 93-0026. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differ from plants of the selection 93-0026 in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium have larger leaves than plants of the selection 93-0026.
2. Plants of the new Anthurium have more durable leaves than plants of the selection 93-0026.
The new Anthurium can be compared to the male parent, the selection 90-0023. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differ from plants of the selection 90-0023 in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium grow faster than plants of the selection 90-0023.
2. Plants of the new Anthurium are more freely flowering than plants of the selection 90-0023.
The new Anthurium can also be compared to the cultivar Cleopatra, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,456. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differ from plants of the cultivar Cleopatra in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Anthurium have smaller, less rounded and lighter green leaves than plants of the cultivar Cleopatra.
2. Plants of the new Anthurium and the cultivar Cleopatra differ in spathe coloration.